1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to wrapping devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for wrapping around a smooth surface of a tubular member, such as a fishing rod, for engaging the fishing rod and other components within the wrap, with the wrap including surfaces for allowing it to frictionally adhere to the tubular member and to engage upon itself to maintain itself wrapped around the member.
2. General Background of the Invention
In addressing the background of this invention, one would look principally to the fishing industry. In most instances, when one fishes, there is the use of a rod and reel, with the rod normally of the type fabricated of several tubular components engaged to one another end to end, so that the fishing line can be threaded through the eyelets of the rod and the hook, bait or lure may be engaged on the end of the line for fishing. There are numerous practical problems which need to be addressed during fishing in order to maintain the integrity of the fishing line, the lure and the fishing rod for immediate and ease of use. Several of the more principal problems are explained below. First, normally when one is transporting the rod to an initial fishing spot, the rod has been disengaged into its several components, which are then placed side by side. Normally the fishing line is maintained on the rod, and often times the fishing hook or lure is positioned at the end of the line. Therefore, when the rod is disengaged and its members are side by side, quite often the fish hook on the end of the line or lure becomes tangled with the line on the second component of the rod, which results in difficult disengagement. Worse yet, when one has assembled a number of rods which have been disassembled in that fashion, quite often the plurality of rods become entangled with one another and it is difficult and sometimes impossible to disengage them for use.
The second problem which one confronts is that after one has been fishing in a certain spot, for example, in a boat, and wishes to move to a second spot, the rods are normally laid on the bottom of the boat or in the rod racks, and the fishing lure or bait at the end of the line is usually engaged into one of the eyelets so that the hooks on the lure are not free-swinging. Again, what one encounters is an entanglement between the hooks and the line of the rod, and like the former problem, should there be multiple rods laying in a group, then invariably it seems, the lines become tangled and the hooks and/or lures must be cut away from the lines in order to untangle the various lines of the multiple rods.
Likewise, in the fishing industry, there is a need for that when the rods are disassembled, or when the rods are placed into the rod racks adjacent to one another, there is a need to have the lines properly engaged against the rods so that the free ends of the lines which may contain hooks or lures do not become tangled with the free ends or with the lines of other rods.
This type of problem is not only confronted with rods and reel in the industry, but often times, tubular members such as light weight pipe such as lengths of PVC pipe or other types of pipe when transported in multiple lengths, and there is a need to somehow maintain the lengths in a relatively compact format so that they can be easily transported.
Several patents have been located in the art which attempt to address these problems, and these patents are as cited in the applicant's prior art statement which is being submitted herewith.